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England football captain Casey Stoney expecting twins

England and Arsenal women’s football ace Casey Stoney has announced she’s expecting twins later this year with her partner and former Lincoln Ladies team-mate Megan Harris.

"Myself and ‪@MegsHarris7 have some very exciting news," Casey tweeted.

The England caption and Arsenal Ladies defender came out last year and, she's told BBC Sport, one the her main reasons for doing so was "because my partner and I were planning on having a family".

She's said that while Megan will be taking some time off football to have the babies, she's "got no plans to retire" and hopes "motherhood will have a positive impact on my career".

Casey says she's overjoyed at the idea of being a mum but finding out she's going to be a mum of twins was a bit of a shock!

"When we had the first scan," she says, "the nurse told us Megan was pregnant and then, 20 seconds later, she said, ‘With twins.’ It was the scariest and most amazing moment of my life!"

Acknowledging how difficult many gay footballers (male or female) find it to be open about their sexuality, for fear of negative reaction from fans, and acutely aware that they're probably the first high-profile gay footballers to have a child together, Casey adds, "Being gay parents may not be that common in football but, in my view, as long as children have the love and support they need, then it shouldn't matter whether they are brought up by two mums, two dads or a mum and a dad.

"What does a normal family look like now anyway? There isn't one, and I would hope there would be no negativity around our situation."